Alternating-current regulator.



BATENTED MAR 31 T. E. ADAMS. ALTERNATING CURRENT REGULATOR.

APPLIUATI ON FILED MAR. 26, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 H0 MODEL.

@g/I FNESSES '7. of"

Attorney No. 724,073. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903. .T. E. ADAMS.

ALTERNATING CURRENT REGULATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 26, 1902. 30 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IWITZIVESSES v 5. 7 v

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS EDGAR ADAMS,

or CLEVELAND, OI-IIO.

ALTERNATING-CURRENT REQULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,073, dated March 31, 1903. Application filed March 26, 1902. Serial No. 100,097. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS EDGAR ADAMS, of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alternating-Current Regulators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in electrical regulators, and more particularly to such as are adapted by inductive resistance to effect automatic regulation of alternatingcurrent circuits, the object of the invention being to provide a regulator of the class specified which shall be simple in construction, automatic and accurate in operation, and effectual in all respects in the performance of its functions.

A further object is to improve an alternating-current regulator in various details of construction.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure'lis a face view, in side elevation ,of a regulator embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan View. Fig. 3 is an end elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail view. Figs. 5 and 6 are-views illustrating certain modifications.

1 represents a frame, preferably of wood, and comprises a base 2 and uprights 3 3, secured to the base by means of bolts4 and project some distance above the base 1, so as to form a sort of open box into which the coil 5 can descend and become seated on bufferblocks 6, secured to the base 2, as will be here inafter more fully explained.

The core 7 of the apparatus is laminated and is made in the form of a frame comprising a cross-bar 8 and depending legs 9 9 and 10, the latter being adapted to receive the coil and is made somewhat longer than said coil, so that the lower end of the leg 10 of the core can extend through the coil and project below the lower end of the coil under certain conditions. Such conditions might arise when the apparatus is started. Th us if at starting the coil 5 should rise violently it wouldtend to strike the cross-bar 8 of the core if the leg 10 were not permitted to extend below the coil; but as the leg 10 isof sufficient length relatively to that of the coil to permit the former to project through and beyond the latter a magnetic buffer will be formed before the coil 5 can reach the cross-bar 8, and thus injury to the coil and core will be prevented.

The legs 9 9 of the core are secured to the uprights of the wooden supporting frame or box 1 by means of angledrons 11, and between said legs and the wooden uprights strips or sheets of heat-proof material 12 (such as asbestos) are placed, said strips or sheets having lateral ventilating-ducts 13. The spool for the coil 5 is preferably made of leatheroid and the coil is preferably made tapering toward the bottom. When a saving in weight is important, aluminium wire may be used for the coil;

When an alternating current flows through the coil 5, the latter will tend to rise on the leg 10 of the core and result in setting up a counter electromotive force in the coil, as is well understood; but in order to render the apparatus accurate and effective for regulating purposes certain other features of construction are important, and these will now be described.

A plate 14 is located upon thecross-bar 8 of the core and is approximately one-half as long as said cross-bar. The cross-bar 8 is provided in its upper face, at the center thereof, with a notch 15, into which a V-shaped lug 16 on the plate 14 is seated; but before these parts are .assembled they are varnished to prevent eddy-currents. The plate 14 is held in place by means of a screw 17, which passes downwardly into the cross-bar 8, and this screw is also varnished for the same reason as above stated. The screw is provided with an eye 18, by means of which to suspend the apparatus on a pole or other suitable support. The outer end of the plate 14. terminates near one end of the cross-bar 8, over one of the depending legs 9 of the core, and has secured thereto a knife-edge'bearing-plate 19, on which two approximately L- shaped levers 20 are mounted, the points of supports of said levers on the knifeedge plates 19 being located at the juncture of the arms 21 22 of said levers, at which points the lovers are connected by a cross-bar 23. Brass gibs 24 are secured to the outer faces of the levers at their pivotal support and provided with flanges 25 to prevent said levers from leaving the knife-edges. Each gib is provided with a case-hardened iron rivet 26 to take end thrust of the steel knife-edge bearing-plates 19.

The levers 20 are normally so disposed that both arms 21 22 thereof will project in a downwardly-inclined direction from the fulcrum of said lever, and the arm 22 of each lever is provided at its free end with a curved head 27, while the free ends of the arms 21 are connected by a cross-bar which constitutes a weight 28. Chains 29 are attached at their upper ends to the upper ends of the curved heads 27 on the respective arms 22 of the levers 20, and the lower ends of these chains are attached to the coil 5 at diametrically opposite points A flat spring 30 is secured at its lower end to one of the uprights of the base frame or box 1 and projects some distance upwardly, its free upper end being connected with the weighted end of the levers 20 by means of a chain 31 or other suitable flexible device. The spring 30 serves a double purpose. It acts as a buffer for the weight 28 when the latter descends and it also acts as an elastic stop not only to limit the upward throw of the weight, but to aid the buffers on the base in stopping and cushioning the fall of the coil 5.

In large regulators one or more dash-pots may be attached in various ways, preferably to the coil 5, to prevent too sudden motion; butin ordinary use dash-pots are seldom necessary.

Normally (before starting) the coil 5 will rest at its lowest position upon the buffingblocks on the base 2. When the apparatus is in circuit with translating devices on an alternating-current circuit, it is apparent that if the resistance on the line be reduced by the removal of one or more translating devices, such as lamps, the current strength will immediately increase, and consequently the coil will rise on the core of the regulator, causing the generation of sufficient counter electromotive force or inductive resistance in the coil to compensate for the decreased resistance caused by the removal of the lamps, and the current will be thus choked to an extent sufficieut to promptly reduce the amperage on the line to or retain it at normal, and a further removal of resistance from the line will cause a further choking effect in the coil, as Will be readily understood, until finally when the load on the line shall have been reduced to a maximum extent the coil will have raised to its full limit. During the operation of the apparatus, as above described, the weighted levers 20 will afford a mechanical force which will assist the coil in rising-or in other words, the mechanical force of the weighted levers will cooperate with the electromagnetic action of the solenoid to effect the rising of the coiland by constructing and arranging'said levers as herein shown and described the mechanical force of the weighted levers will gradually decrease as the electromagnetic action of the apparatus to raise the coil increases, and thus the mechanical resistance offered by the coil to its ascent will be directly proportionate to the choking effect of the coil, the said mechanical resistance being gradually reduced by the descent of the weighted ends of the levers as the choking effect of the coil increases, as before explained.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 I employ a box 32, in the upper portion of which the coreframe 33 is located and provided with a central depending leg 34. The coil 35 is normally located in the lower portion of the box and adapted to move on the core-leg 34L. Cross-bars 36 are secured to the top of the coil and perforated at their ends for the passage of rods 37. These rods are secured at their upper ends to the upper portion of the core-frame and are supported at their lower ends by a non-magnetic stlrrup 38. The lower ends of the rods 37 are threaded for the reception of nuts 39, and between said nuts and the cross-bars 36 springs40 are mounted on the rods 37, the tension of said spring being adjustable by means of the nuts 39. The magnetic action of the device is assisted by the springs a0. When the coil is raised to the short-circuit position, the springs will be expanded to their full extent. The coil can probably sometimes jump higher in starting; but it will be prevented from striking the cross-bar of the core-frame by the buffing effect or back pull when the lower end of the coil rises above the lower end of the core-leg. When the circuit is broken, the coil will not be damaged by falling, as the springs will prevent this.

Various slight changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details herein set forth.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. An alternating-current regulator comprising a depending fixed core, a coil adapted tomove upwardly on said core and mechanical means cooperating with the electromagnetic pull of the regulator to raise the coil, said mechanical means adapted to vary in power inversely to the said magnetic pull.

2. An alternating-current regulator, comprising a fixed core, a coil movable upwardly on said core, and mechanical means connected with the coil and constructed to impart a gradually-decreasing lifting force to the coil as the height of the latter increases.

3. An alternating-current regulator, com.-

prising a fixed depending core, a coil adapted to move upwardly on said core and a weighted lever connected with said coil and constructed to impart a gradually-decreasing lifting force to the coil as the height of the latter increases.

4. An alternating-current regulator comprising a fixed depending core, a coil adapted to move upwardly on said core, and a mechanical device to exert a force to act in accord with the electromagnetic pull to raise the coil, said mechanical device constructed and arranged to gradually decrease in. lifting power applied to the coil as the choking efiect in the coil increases.

5. An alternating-current regulator, comprising a fixed depending core, a coil adapted to move upwardly on said core, a lever having two arms disposed at an angle to each other, said lever pivotall y supported at the juncture of said arms, a weight at the free end of one arm of said lever, and a flexible device connecting the other arm of said lever with the coil, said weight ofiering a gradually-decreasing force tending to raise the coil, as the latter ascends.

6. An alternating-current regulator, comprising a fixed depending core, a coil adapted to move upwardly on said core, a pivoted lever having two arms normally projecting downwardly in inclined directions from the pivotal support of the lever, a weight on one of said arms and a flexible device connecting the other arm of the lever with the coil, said weight ofiering a gradually-decreasing force tending to raise the coil, as the latter ascends.

7. An electric regulator, comprising a core, a coil to move on said core, a weighted lever connected with said coil and an elastic stop constructed and adapted to'limit the upward throw of the weighted end of said lever.

8. In an electric regulator, the combination with a core, and a coil one fixed and the other movable, of a pivoted lever, a weight on one arm of said lever, connection between the other arm of said lever and the movable member, and an elastic stop cooperating with said lever to limit the upward movement of its weighted arm.

9. In an electric regulator, the combination with a core and a coil, one of said members movable and the other fixed, of a pivoted lever, a weight on one arm of said lever, a connection between the other arm of said lever and the movable member, a spring secured at one end, and a flexible device connecting the free end of said spring with the lever.

10. In an electric regulator, a coil and a core, one of said members movable and the other fixed, and a supporting structure, of a pivoted lever, a connection between one arm of the leverand the movable member, a weight on the other arm of the lever and a bufierspring secured to the structure in the path of movement of said weight. a

11. In an electric regulator, the combination with a core-frame having a depending leg and coil to move on said leg, of a knife edge bearingplate mounted on the coreframe, a lever mounted on said knife-edge bearing-plate, gibs secured to the outer faces of said lever and projecting under said knife edge bearing-plate, and case-hardened rivets carried by the gibs to take the end thrust of the knife-edge bearing-plate.

12. In an electric regulator, the combination'with a core-frame comprising a cross-bar and legs projecting therefrom, of acoil dis posed between two of said legs and adapted to move on the other, said coil being shorter than the leg on which it moves, whereby a magnetic bufier will be formed before the coil can engage the cross-head.

13. In an electric regulator, the combination with a base-frame, of a core-frame mounted thereon and having a depending leg, heatproof material between the core-frame and base-frame and having lateral ventilating ducts, and a coil disposed in said frames and adapted to move on the depending leg of the core-frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS EDGAR ADAMS.

Witnesses:

O. W. BRAINERD, O. J. I-IERZER. 

